| name | brainstorming |
| description | Explore ideas and design solutions collaboratively before implementation. Use BEFORE building features, components, or making architectural changes. Triggers: 'brainstorm', 'design this feature', 'let's think through', 'explore approaches', 'before we build', 'what should we consider'. Do NOT use for implementation, code review, or bug fixes. |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Grep","Glob","WebSearch","AskUserQuestion"] |
Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs
Turn ideas into validated designs through structured collaborative dialogue before writing any code.
Process
1. Understand Context
- Read project state: files, docs, recent commits.
- Ask one question at a time to refine the idea.
- Prefer multiple-choice questions over open-ended ones.
- Focus on: purpose, constraints, success criteria.
2. Explore Approaches
- Propose 2-3 approaches with trade-offs.
- Lead with your recommended option and explain why.
- Apply YAGNI ruthlessly -- remove unnecessary features.
3. Present Design Incrementally
- Break design into sections of 200-300 words.
- Ask after each section: "Does this look right so far?"
- Cover: architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing.
- Go back and clarify when something does not make sense.
4. Document
- Write validated design to
docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md.
- Commit the design document.
5. Transition to Implementation (Optional)
- Ask: "Ready to set up for implementation?"
- Create isolated workspace with git worktree if proceeding.
- Draft a detailed implementation plan.
Error Handling
- If project context is unclear, ask for the repository path or relevant files before proceeding.
- If the user provides conflicting requirements, surface the conflict explicitly and ask for resolution.
- If a design section is rejected, revise that section before moving to the next.
Key Principles
- One question at a time -- do not overwhelm.
- Multiple choice preferred -- easier to answer.
- YAGNI ruthlessly -- cut unnecessary scope.
- Explore alternatives -- always compare 2-3 approaches.
- Incremental validation -- present in sections, confirm each.
